Casa Nuestra Senora Del Transito
09.01
Casa Nuestra Senora Del Transito,
Franklin Villanueva y Maza,
(5517) Lunlunta – Maipú.
Rising c. 06.12.
Friday Morning Group AAD; the Special Study Group DX beginning-again this morning; in the room by the Chapel with the 30-minute sitters, arriving early for a 45-minute sitting.
Breakfast at 08.00. One of the Intro Team personally introduced themself. They wanted to shake Robert’s hand – he was real! – and to thank him for the difference he had made in the world; this before moving to a seat at the end of the head table where he could stare and check out the reality of it all.
Silence entered very briefly, and left the room quiet, but not comfortably so.
Work of the morning called:
Kitchen Team meeting at 10.00 in the room by the Chapel.
First Guitar Meeting at 10.30 in the ballroom. Horacio knows how to set up the seating for perhaps 80 guitars, so volunteers with no idea how to do this were requested. A Gringo, with a cousin from the Mendoza family, seized the opportunity.
Walking back to this room, I was pounced upon with a comment from a 30-minute sitting person. A good comment; good to find the right time for its presentation.
11.50 Kitchen Team meeting at 10.00: an exercise introduced, not the one conventionally used in the Kitchen. The story was told of Clean Sheets And Tidy, illustrating inter alia how an act of quality permeates other aspects of our life and living of it.
House of Guitars at 10.30. Outer Circle with 40 guitars, 26 in the Inner Circle.
When ready, please begin. Circa 20 minutes.
When ready please begin again. Circa 26 minutes, brought to an end with a signaled chord.
Inner Circle: please stand and move seven seats to your left.
Outer Circle: please stand and move five seats to your right.
Then…
Inner Circle: please play for one minute.
Outer Circle: following a count of four, please play for 42 seconds.
Following a count of four…
Inner Circle: please play for 30 seconds.
Outer Circle: please play for 25 seconds.
Inner Circle: please play for 20 seconds.
Outer Circle: please play for 15 seconds.
Inner Circle: please play for 10 seconds.
Outer Circle: please play for 5 seconds.
Inner Circle: please play for 1 second.
Five signaled el crumpo chords.
Free dispersal from the Circles.
12.30 Meeting with the Intro Team at noon in one large Circle of 41 guitars.
Bringing attention to the soles of the feet, the top of the head, to what is in between.
In front, behind, to the left, to the right, above, below.
To everything that is outside us.
To what is within us.
Into the left hand: the back of the hand, the palm, inside the hand, the thumb, first, second, third and little fingers, the whole of the hand.
If we close our eyes, do we have a left hand?
If so, how do we know?
What is the particular quality of experiencing that gives us confidence we have a left hand?
Notes around the Circle to the left, to the right, to the left.
How many guitars are there in the Circle? Various estimates were given, even 54.
Passing notes to the right, looking towards our Friend on the left.
Passing notes to the left, smiling at our Friend on the right.
One note to the left, one to the right: two notes at once!
Many other notes managed to find their way in.
In 5/8, one note to the right with every 5th. beat tacit.
Then 1 and 5 tacit.
Then 1 and 3 and 5 tacit.
Then 1 and 3 and 4 and 5 tacit.
Then 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 tacit (this was the most successful).
Finally, returning to what is within, what is without, to what is within, and to the left hand: how do we know that we are present in our left hand?
Completing at 12.27.
T’ai Chi with Luciano at 12.30.
14.11 Lunch at 13.00 with performances by
Zum followed by The Kabusacki All Stars; aka the
Rosario Guitar Ensemble. Got to Get you into My lifeEleanor Rigby +
The MasterMosaico Criollo La nave de los sueñosNecessary announcements on rubbish; and the doors that are locked at night.
The Fifth Assumption Of Work In The Circle: to play in time. Connected to this is timing.
The Right Thing at the wrong time is wrong.
The Wrong Thing at the right time is right.
The Right Thing at the right time is beautiful.
The gentleman, whose comment after breakfast was not at the right time, was invited to present his comment now; in addition to comments, reports and observations on our work from all around the tables.
Several good comments were presented.
On quality experiencing: two short moments in the morning sitting.
On laughing as an expression of incongruity.
How to be available to music in the large Circle/s? (paraphrase).
An initiative from a member of the Intro Team: A Minimalism Meeting at 14.30.
Martin and the Buddies: Two Hands in the Ballroom at 15.00.
15.56 Afternoon views I…
II...
III...
IV...
Tea at 16.00.
18.35 Robert with The Intro Team at 16.30 in the Ballroom.
One Circle with 41 guitars.
Attention to the soles of the feet, the top of head, to what is in between.
Then, from within us to what is outside of us: front, behind, left, right, above, below.
Then returning to within, and into the right hand.
Circulating to the left and the right.
Then two groups, with down and up-beats. This was problematic.
Honouring the principle: when stuck, increase the complexity, with three groups and two up-beats.
As this was problematic, to four groups and three up-beats.
As this was problematic, we moved to rapid circulating, in two groups. The aim: to move faster than the speed of light.
As this was problematic, we moved to the corridors, in two groups: Queen Vicious One at the head of Group One, Queen Vicious Two at the head of Group Two. Both were very vicious.
Notes were assigned chromatically, and magic chords strapped onto them.
Whizzing commenced, not yet taking off and flying.
Returning attention to within, without, to within, and into the left foot.
A few words on the Practice Of Doing Nothing at 17.45.
The principle: Where our attention is, is where we are.
Moving through a circuit of points in the body, becoming present in them, we discover points of tension which we release: we let go of the tension, bringing to bear the impulse of relaxation.
So, this introduction to relaxation is also an introduction to The Practice Of Presence.
All we have in life is the quality of our attention.
Becoming present, in a relaxed state with the attention engaged, is the foundation of all subsequent exercises. For now, we give this thirty minutes. When established, and we move to other morning exercises, 5-10 minutes for relaxation is sufficient. The OCG are practicing becoming present in two minutes.
In time, when the exercise is well established, when we bring our attention inside the body we find presence waiting. This accompanies us through our day.
If we have no power of volitional attention, we don’t properly have a life.
20.27 Dinner.
Visitor Marcos introduced himself, bringing his two sons. Marcos’ first course was 18 years ago.
Reports, comments, observations.
Comment from a member of the Intro Team who attended a GC course 12 years ago: our work has deepened.
Q: Are there different kinds of attention? Is perception different from attention?
A. Can this be linked to your experience?
Quick Answer: no.
In response to the question (Are there different kinds of attention?) for now, distinguish between volitional attention - that which moves from us - and attracted attention; for example, Italian news kiosks with bunga bunga magazines and young Italian men walking by. Advertisers know of this.
What is our work this evening? Dessert arrived and our attention was attracted away from considering this.
After dinner, four personal meetings for five people, between 20.30 - 21.30. Mature comments based in experience and addressing real issues.
22.42 House of Guitars at 21.45
While waiting outside as the seats were being prepared, the question: In there is Sacred Space. How do we enter?
Two Circles: 40 in the Outer and 26 in the Inner, by my count.
When ready, please begin. Various movements and developments were mostly pressed to earth and squashed flat by loud-endless-strumming = death. An eruption of whizzing. Then to mellow-endless-strumming = death, attacked and driven out by members of the Outer Circle whizzing at it. Perhaps, the Outer Circle saw no likely end to the mellow death-drive.
Circa 50 minutes.
